BASS
IMPROVE YOUR GROOVE | Adam Nitti
Bass players have a twofold responsibility : Being a foundation for the harmony and be a foundation for the time . Without these developed skills , a bassist is going to really struggle with his or her role within a musical context . Harmony knowledge can be absorbed in various ways , and things like the basic components of music and theory are typically more academic in nature and can be memorized and applied . But a bass player ’ s ability to provide great groove and timekeeping is not necessarily something that is innate and cannot really be mastered solely from a book or video . It takes experience , interaction , and lots of focused listening to learn how to be consistent and adept at different types of timing feels and approaches . In this article , I want to address what I believe to be one of the best ways to develop a natural and accurate sense of time , and that is by focusing on the internal as opposed to the external . More specifically , I am referring to the idea of working to develop and refine your internal clock as opposed to depending on external references like metronomes or drum machines to improve your timing .
You have by now undoubtedly heard a lot of discussion referring to the importance of grooving as a bass player . But the term , “ groove ” has become somewhat ubiquitous and I would argue that not everyone is quite sure how to define it . We know that great players have a convincing groove , but how do we define that in a way that gives us an objective to work towards and improve our own ?
Simply put , “ groove ” is the predictable , reliable , and cyclical pulse that you exhibit as a player that frames the timing reference for the music . It inspires confidence and creates a comfort zone for the musicians to interact within while simultaneously creating an emotive context for the music .
Groove is what makes you want to move . It is that undeniable , almost intangible force that connects people to the sounds they are experiencing . Our internal clocks are what give us the ability to feel time naturally and create a groove . They are the heartbeat of the music that lives inside us . They allow us to play in time without the aid of any other device or external reference . When your internal clock is strong , then you naturally play with a strong and convincing groove .
A lot of us have spent considerable time working with metronomes in order to improve our time . Metronomes , drum machines , loops , etc ., are examples of what I refer to as external clocks . To state this another way , an external clock is a time source that we follow . It sets the time , and we align ourselves to its pulse in order to play along with the time . I want to be clear and emphasize that there is considerable value in practicing with an external clock source . It allows you to fine tune your timekeeping abilities and dynamic control especially as it relates to your technique and the synchronization of your hands . However , depending solely on external sources to hone your timekeeping skills eventually brings diminishing returns . In other words , you can only go so far relying on an outside reference to keep you aligned with the time . If you can ’ t rely on or trust your own inner clock , then you are going to have a lot of trouble grooving when you don ’ t have an external reference to lean on .
Now that we have a basic understanding of what it means to have a natural and internal sense of timing , let ’ s work on an exercise that will help you to strengthen it . This exercise is
very , very simple , but it is also deceptively challenging . What we are going to do is play a groove to an external clock source , but as we work through the exercise , we are going to progressively wean ourselves off it , while relying more on our internal clock as a reference .
NOTE : For this exercise , it will be most effective if you have a metronome or drum machine that can be programmed to play a click at very slow tempos . Alternatively , you can use a recording program or DAW to sequence this exercise . That way , you can create clicks with long spaces in between .
INTERNALIZATION To start , program your metronome or drum machine so that it only plays on the whole note subdivision , or in other words a single click or pulse on beat 1 of each measure . ( We ’ re going to stay in 4 / 4 time for this example , but the sky is the limit with time signatures here …) Now , set the tempo to 200 bpm and start it playing .
NOTE : Although you have the tempo set to 200 bpm on your metronome or drum machine , it will sound like 50 bpm , since you have the click set to a whole note .)
Listen to the click for a while , allowing the time to internalize . While it is playing , without touching your bass , think of a groove that you can play to the click that will fit nicely into the time feel . Imagine hearing yourself playing this bass groove perfectly within the timing reference . Note that I have you first spending time listening to your groove being played inside the time even BEFORE you start playing it ! This is a key objective in developing your time . Internalization is the first and most important step to being able to play a groove convincingly , because it demonstrates that you